The present invention relates to portable objects and more particularly to a contactless portable object featuring at least one peripheral which does not have ohmic contact with the main chip.
Portable objects, such as contactless smart cards, are currently widely used in numerous applications. It generally entails ISO format cards which are coupled to readers, through which they are remotely energized, that is, by which they receive energy in the form of a magnetic field and with which they communicate. In public transport sectors, such means have also be implemented in the form of ISO cards or in a smaller format such as tickets. Users present the subscription cards in front of readers in order to gain access to public transport. The communication which is established between the card and the reader enables user recognition and the cost of the trip to be deducted from the user""s account.
These means have also been developed as a means of payment. This is the case, for example, of the electronic wallet. The latter can be used to pay for small purchases in shops. It consists of a smart card. This card is credited in a specialized distributor. The user may thus use it to pay for purchases by presenting it in front of a reader. The communication established between the card and the reader debits the sum corresponding to the purchase.
Many companies has also developed identification means for their personnel using contactless smart cards. Passing the card in front of a reader allows the cardholder to be identified, and then to be granted or denied access to a controlled access zone. The same card can also be used by employees to xe2x80x9cpunch inxe2x80x9d.
The increasing use of smart card technology has given rise to new needs.
The first of these needs is the possibility to be able to read the information directly on the contactless portable object. The user wants to be able to consult the information contained in the smart card without having to place the card in the field of a reader, and then read the information directly on the reader""s display screen. This problem is encountered, for example, when using the electronic wallet. The user can only consult the balance when he/she transfers money to the card or when making a transaction, that is when power is supplied to the card when it is placed in the magnetic field emitted by the reader.
A means for eliminating these drawbacks is available on the market. This means is a case designed for electronic wallet cards which features a display screen allowing the user to consult the card balance at all times. By inserting the latter into the case, contact is made between the card""s chip and that of the case. The communication established via the contact results in the balance being displayed on the case""s display screen. This technology, however, presents several drawbacks. The first of these inconveniences is that the case requires an internal power source allowing the case and the communication between the card and the case to function. This power source is generally a battery. This battery must thus be changed regularly when depleted. The second drawback resides in the fact that the case only accepts cards that are specifically configured to operate with it. As such, several cards cannot be used with it.
A second need is the possibility to use the same card for several applications. One can imagine that just one card could communicate with different readers. As such, a card may be designed to operate with different systems. Indeed, a credit card operating in automatic teller machines may be used as an electronic wallet. In the same respect, a contactless transport card may be used for purchases of small amounts. The same card thus becomes an accessory capable of being used on a daily basis in several different applications.
A third need may be to incorporate a small keyboard onto the contactless smart card enabling data to be entered during a transaction between the card and a terminal. Such a keyboard would be placed on the body of the smart card.
The cards currently available on the market feature only one main chip enabling them to communicate with only one type of system.
Furthermore, these secondary functions require an energy source to operate when the card is in the magnetic field emitted by the reader with which it communicates.
Finally, the use of peripherals to perform these functions may lead to interference in the main chip""s operation and particularly during communication between the latter and its associated reader.
The purpose of the invention is to mitigate these drawbacks by supplying a portable object having several independent functions which are able to communicate with several different systems, owing to one or more independent peripherals, these peripherals only requiring a small amount of energy to operate and having only a slight influence on the operation of the main chip.
The present invention concerns a contactless portable object featuring a main chip and a main antenna enabling communication between the chip and the reader associated with the portable contactless object. This portable contactless object also features at least one contactless peripheral device, having a function different than that of the main chip not connected by ohmic contact to the latter and requiring only a small amount of energy to operate.
According to a specific embodiment, the invention concerns a contactless smart card featuring a secondary chip independent from the main chip and communicating with a reader different than that of the main chip.